Trump says Tehran retains 21%-22% of missile arsenal

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran’s military capabilities have been severely degraded by American strikes, but acknowledged that Tehran still retains a significant stockpile of missiles and drones.

In an interview with NBC, Trump said the United States had inflicted extensive damage on Iran’s military infrastructure during the ongoing conflict.

“So far in the conflict, we have totally destroyed their military,” Trump said.

He added that key components of Iran’s defense industry had been targeted.

“Most of the drone factories have been knocked out, most of the launching pads have been knocked out, and most of the missile manufacturing areas have been knocked out. But they still have capacity. They have some missiles, they have some drones,” he said. “I would say percentagewise, maybe 21%-22% of their missiles. It’s a lot of missiles, but it’s not what it was when we first attacked.”

Trump’s latest estimate suggests Iran retains a larger share of its missile stockpile than he indicated last month, when he said approximately 18% remained. The president has repeatedly stated that U.S. military operations had effectively eliminated Iran’s ability to wage war.

His comments came as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported intercepting multiple Iranian missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and neighboring Gulf states on June 5.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that had been launched toward the strategic waterway before Iran carried out additional missile attacks.

“Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after U.S. Central Command [CENTCOM] shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz,” the military said in a statement.

By Sabina Mammadli